St. George Island, Alaska

St. George Island, Alaska · Posted by ballgofar, 09-18-2008, 02:33 PM

These were all taken this summer with a K10d with DA16-45 or a Tamron 70-300mm which I had to operate completely manually, both aperture and focus. Long story, but in summary, I broke the aperture and it was stuck, so in trying to fix it, I broke the autofocus too. To change the aperture, I had to take the lens off the camera and shake it until it was approximately where I wanted it to be.

Here are some highlights, none of which have been edited in the slightest.

The rest can be found here:
Photos from mikey104 | Zooomr Photo Sharing

Edit: Is it just me, or can you not see any of these pictures?

Edit: Ah hah! This should work. Full size photos can been seen at the zooomr link above.

*jmc7104* · 09-18-2008, 06:18 PM

Photo Download | 20080715-100_8853 | Zooomr This is what your property,s shows of your url. There should be a .jpg ending after the --(size32/.jpg) See if that doesn't work. jim

ballgofar · 09-18-2008, 07:19 PM

Hmm, that doesn't appear to have worked. Anyone have any ideas here? Moderators, perhaps?

Edit: Never mind, I worked around the issues.

ballgofar · 09-19-2008, 02:53 AM

Alright, they're working! Comments and criticisms are enouraged.

cupic · 09-19-2008, 07:23 AM

A good series of contrast and composure

cheers

*palmor* · 09-19-2008, 07:51 AM

Great series!

*LaRee* · 09-19-2008, 08:24 AM

I love #2,3 and 5. You have a couple dust spots that need cloning out on #3&4. Number 2 is really wonderful. I'll come back and take a look at your gallery after work when I have more time. Thank you for posting.
btw, bummer about your tamron 70-300, I bet it will be cheaper to just buy a new one.

vizjerei · 09-19-2008, 09:47 AM

Nice~ Love the #2 and 3

(PS Time to clean the sensor too)

*gawan* · 09-19-2008, 03:07 PM

Great photos, I like the two puffins especially!

**roentarre** · 09-19-2008, 03:54 PM

Some natural wonders you have captured there

ballgofar · 09-19-2008, 07:56 PM

Yup, I noticed the sensor issue shortly after taking the photos. It kinda stinks that they showed up on pretty much ALL of the good ones, but they didn't interfere with the actual subjects too much. I didn't realize that I had the auto-sensor-cleaning option off until later, when it was practically too late. Well, I guess this gives me some motivation to learn how to use photoshop.

P.S., on the photoshop note, does anyone have any recommendations for learning photoshop? Books, online turorials, message boards, anything?

JMR · 09-19-2008, 08:26 PM

I had to learn how to use and turn on auto sensor cleaning- oh and read my manul! I also hold the camera with the opening facing down so that when changing lenses no dust can fall in. I sometimes use a squeeze-type blower.

My personal view is that unless you are professional, Photoshop is not necessary. Photoshop makes "Elements' a smaller version of Photoshop. This is what I use. You can always upgrade if you feel the need to use Photoshop.

As to the photos, I like no 3 the best. It captures beautifully a sombre day with muted tones and mist. I bet it was drizzling. You can always good photos in unusual weather if you are willing to fosake comfort. I am sure you know by now, it is difficult to take good photos of wildlife even in the best of circumstances. But your photos are not bad, particularly the seals. I like their pattern and how they almost blend into the rocks.

JMR

ballgofar · 09-20-2008, 06:56 AM

Thanks for the tips! And yes, it was drizzling when I took that photo. In fact, that was pretty much the weather the entire two weeks we were there: cold, windy, sprinkling rain, and extremely foggy. It may sound strange, but it ws so beautiful!

If anyone has seen the Deadliest Catch, that should give you a pretty good idea of what the weather is like. They actually dock at St. Paul, which is right next to St. George (and is the only thing within a few hundren miles). Do a google maps search if you really want to get a sense of isolation!